I will admit it, I love mac and cheese. I can’t even look at pictures of it without thinking, “I need to make this right now.” There are so many delicious versions, and I have tried making tons of different kinds. They are all usually good, in their own way. Sometimes adding a little mustard spices things up, or adding a crusty bread crumb topping to give it a crunch…no matter what it is, I like it. When I saw a recipe from Martha Stewart for The Creamiest Mac and Cheese, I knew I had to try it; so I excitedly added it to my weekly menu plan. So excited, in fact, that I went grocery shopping that day, came home, and decided to make the Mac & Cheese two days earlier than I planned….it would be fine in the fridge, right?
I was a little hesitant to follow the directions to a T, because I have never tried cutting up sliced bread and putting it on top of mac & cheese…and to be honest, it seemed weird. But after reading all the positive reviews, I gave it a go, and I’m happy I did!
Much like when I made the Tomato Basil One Pot Wonder pasta from Martha Stewart I was skeptical, but once again she proved me wrong and delivered the goods!
This Mac and Cheese also reheats really well, which is good because this recipe yields a large amount. Perfect for a crowd…or one person who loves mac and cheese….
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter plus more for casserole dish
- 3 slices white bread crusts removed, chopped into 1/4- to l/2-inch pieces
- 2 and 3/4 cups milk
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons coarse salt plus more for water
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 and 1/4 cups about 9 ounces sharp white cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 cups about 4 ounces grated Gruyère or 2/3 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- 1/2 pound elbow macaroni or other spiral noodle
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1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter a large casserole dish; set aside. Place the bread in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoons butter. Pour the melted butter into the bowl with the bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside.
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2. Cover a large pot of salted water, and bring to a boil. Cook the macaroni until the outside of pasta is cooked and the inside is underdone, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well.
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3. Warm the milk in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When the butter bubbles, add the flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
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4. While whisking, slowly pour in the hot milk a little at a time into the skillet with butter/flour mixture. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick, 8 to 12 minutes.
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5. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 1.5 cups of the cheddar cheese, and 3/4 cup Gruyère (or 1/3 cup Pecorino Romano); Mix until all cheese is melted and smooth and set the cheese sauce aside.
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6. Stir the macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.
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6. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheeses and the breadcrumbs over the top.
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7. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes (watch as this may take a little longer. you want the bread browned). Transfer the dish to a wire rack for 5 minutes and then serve.
Serves 6
Recipe can be doubled for a larger crowd
Thanks for visiting!
– Allyson
Andres says
Those pictures are awesome! I specially love that third one, where you can see the steam! MMMmmmm, mmmmmmm!!!!
Allyson says
Thanks, Andres! I couldn’t wait to take pictures of this dish (and eat it), so the steam was unavoidable! Come back soon 🙂
Gloria Phillips says
I could live off mac and cheese on a daily basis! Love the creative part of the sliced bread on top. My boys actually love to make their’s into a sandwich… which to me, is weird! Pinning!
Allyson says
Mac and cheese grilled cheese?! That sounds like a total win to me! Thanks for pinning and hope to see you by again soon!
Shannah @ Just Us Four says
breadcrumbs on top of mac n cheese? That sounds amazing!
Julie Corbisiero says
Hi Allyson, thanks so much for hosting and I pinned that mac n cheese recipe it looks so good and yummy thanks! Have a good weekend.
Julie
lisa says
Might be a silly question, but…I’m having surgery tomorrow, have made a bunch of meals for the freezer, and after seeing this recipe and having all ingredients on hand, I must try this! However, can I freeze it?!?!
Allyson says
Hmmm, I haven’t tried freezing it, but I don’t see why not? You might want to leave the bread crumbs off to freeze, then when you bake add the crumbs the last 30 minutes of baking or so, until browned. Let me know how it turns out if you try it!
Rach @ EazyPeazyMealz says
This looks so yummy. Gruyere is my fave, and I have a big block of it, so this is going on the menu. Pinned! Thanks for sharing. Found you on the Pin Junkie link party.
Allyson says
I am a huge fan of gruyere too, clearly! Thanks for stopping by, I hope you like the Mac and Cheese as much as we do!
Bonnie @ The Pin Junkie says
This looks so much better than the mac & cheese out of the box! Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe at The Pin Junkie. It was featured this week! Please stop by to grab a button and share another fantastic recipe at http://www.thepinjunkie.com/2014/03/friday-link-party-57.html
Allyson says
Thanks, Bonnie! I already have your button and appreciate you featuring me! Thanks again!
Catherine says
Ok the recipe says 4 tablespoons of butter but then later in the directions it says six tablespoons???
Allyson says
Okay no, I realize what happened. I had halved the recipe for posting, so it should he 4 TBS butter total. You should melt 1 TBS for the bread in the beginning, and then use the remaining 3 TBS later. I Have corrected the recipe on the post. Thanks!
Reese says
SOOOO good. I’ve made it several times.
Allyson says
MMMMM I love it too!
Amanda says
Making this for Thanksgiving oh my word .. adding peas <3 Thanks for the recipe!!